Bleach: State Side
by James Tanner
Summary: The US hasn't exactly been a feeding ground for Hollows for sometime. However, when three Soul Reapers find a boy in Ohio that Hollows can't seem to leave alone, all that changes. Read on to see this tale unfold into a new kind of odd...  mostly OC
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is my first Bleach fanfic, so give it a break. I have several chapters written already, but I will only post this one for now until I get the feeling people are actually reading it. Now, let me give you a heads up, the facts given in this story may seem basic and that's because they are. I'm not exactly far in the series and am writing based on what I know, and so far, it seems good. If I mess up on something cannon, please, feel free to tell me. I will take any and all input if I feel it will help. Well, enjoy.

**Author's Note: **This story does contain violence, but not all that bad. And no, this isn't a masterpiece, but I didn't write it to be one. I wrote this because I could. So, there you go.

**Characters Please: **Hey, um, this is my first Bleach fanfic and well, I don't have many ideas for characters. If you would like a character in this story, please send me a message. I am looking for anything from a Soul Reaper to an Arrancar.

**The Attack**

In some random town in the United States, black clouds filled with rain hovered overhead. The nighttime sky was particularly beautiful at the moment with the rainclouds drifting softly beneath it. Every couple of minutes, the sky would light up shortly as lightning struck.

Down below, on the top of a large building, three people stood. All three of them wearing long black kimonos with white trim and a sword tied to a white sash around their waist.

One of the people was a girl with long blonde hair that swayed behind her as the wind caught it. She had her hand resting on the hilt of her sword as the rain began to fall. Another was a large man with crew cut brown hair. He had his arms crossed and watched the clouds float, smiling to himself as if this were some kind of joke. And the last was an athletic man perched on a gargoyle. He had spiky, almost black hair yet still brown, with a mask coming up from the collar of his kimono, covering his nose and everything below it. The man also had his sleeves torn off. He watched the ground below carefully with his bright blue eyes, and after a moment, the female sighed.

"I don't like this. I feel so much spirit energy around us. It almost feels as if there is a hollow living right in this town." The large man laughed.

"I know. I love it. Just calm down Sarah and enjoy the view, how often does your lieutenant send you on a job like this. My captain rarely lets me do stuff like this in the States." The man with the mask scowled.

"Damien, shut up. Your enthusiasm annoys me. We are hunting hollows, not painting scenery here." Damien scowled as well.

"Why don't you shut up Alex? Can't I be myself once in a while instead of some Soul Reaper goon?"

"No." Damien shot his arms in the air and began to walk to the other side of the building. Alex remained still, his gaze on a house in the distance. He cocked his brow at it.

"Sarah, that house in the distance, that's it, isn't it?" She looked at it and then closed her eyes. She held her breath, and then released it as she opened her eyes.

"Yes, I believe it is. Perhaps you should check the ribbons to be sure." The sky then darkened as long white ribbons began to appear around Alex. He began looking at them all, and then grabbed one. He examined it carefully, and then let it go as the ribbons disappeared.

"Yes. That home belongs to someone with much spirit energy. That person has the most in this town. How very…odd." Damien turned around.

"Why is it odd?" Alex still looked at the house.

"That person…has way too much for any human." Just as he said that, a loud roar could be heard in the distance. Its sound made the hair on their necks stand up, after which Sarah closed her eyes.

"That sound. It always sounds…sad." Alex stood up tall.

"Yes, but we must remember we are doing this to save them." A bolt of lightning struck by the house and the outline of a massive bipedal creature could be seen for but an instant. "Let's roll." The group then walked to the edge of the building, and jumped into the dark sky, disappearing from sight as they began to jump from roof to roof.

* * *

Somewhere in Ohio, a boy wearing glasses and a cross around his neck lay on his bed wide-awake, still in his school uniform (consisting of a black polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants). He let out a long breath as he listened to the rain hit the roof of his house as well as his window. No lights were on in the room other than that coming from the television. This boy was James Tanner, high school junior and top of his class. He rolled on his side and looked out the window, all he could see was rain streaming down the glass. He was alone in the house, his parents away until the next day visiting his aunt, and his brother Matt was at a friend's house and would also be returning the next day. So there he lay, alone.

He slowly closed his eyes, sleep beginning to take him, when a loud roar-like sound could be heard in the distance. James opened his eyes as he heard this and looked out the window; however, he saw only the rain and black. "Must have been thunder." He said to himself. Once more, he tried to close his eyes, when he heard it again. He leaned up, sweating slightly. Everything was quiet other than the rain. He shook his head and lay down. Once more he was about to close his eyes, when out of nowhere a man flew though his wall like a ghost. He landed quietly, and then stood up, James immediately noticing the long katana in his hand. James immediately backed up against the wall. "What the heck!" He yelled. The man looked over at James with a cocked eyebrow. The man wore a long, black kimono with the sleeves torn off, and covering half of his face was a mask. The man looked around for a moment, then back at James.

"Can you see me?" James nodded in fear. "Wow, that's…very odd. You're not supposed to see me."

"Well I can! What, do you want to steal something?" James then leaned over and grabbed something from under his bed. When he pulled it out, it was a basic katana. "You'll *gulp* have to go through me first." The man looked at him with a serious look, and then closed his eyes and began to laugh. "You think I'm funny." The man was hunched over from laughing so hard.

"Boy, you couldn't take me on if you tried. And you don't need to worry, I'm not here to hurt you or take anything. I'm looking for someone." The man then walked into the other room. James watched him leave with a confused look. He sat there a moment confused, and then stood up and followed him. When he walked into the other room, he saw the man looking in other rooms and opening closets and looking in those. At one point he even opened the fridge.

"Who are you looking for?" Said James.

"I don't know." James got a blank look.

"Then why look here?" The man shrugged.

"It's complicated." James then walked up next to him.

"Well, I'm the only person here, so unless somebody broke in nobody is in here." The man then turned around and examined James, he then laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You can't be the person. Just look at you, you're a nerd. You couldn't possibly be the guy I'm looking for."

"Well, then who are you looking for." The man sighed, and then examined James again.

"_This boy _can_ see me."_ Thought the man to himself. The room then got very dark, and ribbons shot out of the ground around him. James jumped back in fear. The man examined them, and then grabbed one. He looked at the floor and noticed it was coming out of James, and then he sighed and made them disappear.

"What the heck was that?"

"Those were spirit ribbons. They show me all the spirits in the area. The one I grabbed was yours. Well, based on that I guess you weren't lying. You are the one I'm looking for." James jumped back and pointed the katana at the man.

"You aren't going to kill me are you?" The man had a dull expression. He then used his own katana to lower the one James held.

"No, didn't we already accomplish that? I am here because I am hunting for something that eats souls." James got a look of shock.

"What?"

"Yes. And they enjoy powerful souls the best. So, I sought out the most powerful soul around and that turned out to be you. So, I'm basically here waiting for the thing I'm after, because shortly that thing will probably be here and try to eat you." James began to sweat, and then passed out. The man just rolled his eyes. "Crap." The man then lifted the boy up and set him on the couch. As he finished setting the momentarily unconscious boy on the couch, he froze and looked at the window on the far wall. After looking at it for a few seconds, his eyes got wide and he held up his katana. "Oh dear…now the fun begins" At that moment, James woke up and sat up.

"What happened?"

Out of nowhere a huge fist came through the wall and sent glass flying. Several shards of glass flew at James and landed in the left half of his face making him scream as his face began to bleed horribly. As he screamed, the huge hand grabbed the man and pulled him out.

Outside the building, the huge 50 foot monster stood there holding the man. The creature had a stance like that of a gorilla but had no fur and blackish-purple skin, and covering its face was a huge mask that looked like bone. The man in its hand smiled behind his mask and managed to pull his sword arm free of its grip. "Hey beautiful." He then shoved the sword into its hand and it dropped him. It roared loud as the man fell, blood pouring out of the monsters hand to the ground below. The man jumped clear to the top of the creature, and as he fell back down he held out his sword, cutting it into the monsters head. As he fell, the sword sliced the monster clean in half, blood spilling everywhere. When he landed, he did a pose with his sword at his side as a blood rain fell on him. When it stopped, the creature turned to dust and blew away. "Soul cleansed." He stood up and tried wiping some of the blood off. "Sure wasn't as hard as I thought." At that moment, two people jumped off the roof of the house. "Took you guys long enough. It's already dead now." One of them, a girl, nodded with a sad look.

"I hope he can find peace in the Soul Society." The other, a man, then smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, because Alex sure didn't show him any." The girl then felt a presence and turned around to see the boy on the couch holding his face in agony, unable to move other than squirm.

"That boy." She said. "Is that him?" Alex nodded.

"He could see me. It was so very…odd." She nodded.

"I have to help him." She then walked in and sat on her knees on the floor. She leaned over James, her soaked hair dripping on him. "Please boy, move your hand. I'm going to help you. She softly took his hand and moved it. As she did, James looked up at her, his eyes blurry with tears from the pain. He couldn't see much, yet for some reason her just being there calmed him. She gently removed James' glasses, which were fine except one of the lenses were shattered and the glass was imbedded just above and below his eye. She then softly put her hand on James' face, causing him to cringe in pain. She closed her eyes, and breathed in. After a few moments, she began to utter words, and her hand began to glow. As she did, James began to get tired. The glass shards eventually began to push themselves out of his skin, and the wounds began to heal. After she finished, she looked at him with a soft smile. "You're going to sleep now. Rest easy." He then drifted to sleep, his wounds healed into scars already. She was about to stand up, when she noticed a necklace around his neck. On it was a silver cross with an intricate black design in the middle. Upon seeing the cross, several things popped into her mind. Only a few had something to do with him being able to see them. She looked at it for several moments, and then shook her head. "No, it can't be." She stood up and walked to the others, the rain beginning to stop. "I helped him. I wish I was good enough to help his scars though." Alex nodded.

"Good. Let's go." The three were about to leave, when Alex stopped a moment and turned around. Damien looked at him oddly.

"What is it?" Alex just looked at James with a suspicious look.

"Why could he see us?" Damien shrugged.

"I don't know. Does it matter? Some people can just do that. Let's go." Alex turned around and looked at Damien with a mean look.

"Do you ever stop being a dumbass? This person could be…useful." The girl cocked an eyebrow.

"What would Kenpachi Zaraki say about you spying on him?"

"Who said I would be spying on him?" Sarah just crossed her arms. "You can read me like a book. I will ask Kenpachi tonight. This one is unlike any I've seen before, and I want to know why." Sarah nodded.

"Fine, but for now, our job is over. Let us leave." The three then jumped away, into the darkness once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Scars**

James slowly opened his eyes as he heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. He slowly leaned up, glass falling off of his chest as the car doors slammed shut. "Son of a bitch!" Screamed a loud male voice. At that point, a large bearded man could be seen from the hole. His hair was a dark brown like that of James, yet it had silver streaks in it from age. The man saw James lying on the couch with scars all over his face and glass with blood dried to it around him and ran over to him. "What the hell happened here?" James looked down in confusion. He just vaguely remembered a woman standing over him, but nothing else.

"I don't know. I can't remember." The man was furious.

"What, have you been drinking or something?" James scowled at the man.

"No! I just woke up dad. I can't remember anything from last night! One minute I'm going to sleep on my bed, and the next I'm on the couch!" At that point a plump woman with platinum blonde hair walked in with her hands over her mouth.

"Oh my…" She said. She then looked at James and saw the blood encrusted glass and the scars all over his face. "My baby!" She yelled. She then ran over to him and lifted him off of the couch and hugged him tight He gasped at the speed of it all. When she finally set him down, he wobbled a minute. Finally a tall boy with long dark blonde hair walked up. His eyes were a bright blue, yet his expression was very dull. He walked in and then straight to his room, acting as if none of this really mattered. At that point the dad began to rub his temples.

"From how it looks, it appears as if a car slammed through the wall." James then remembered something going through the wall and him sitting on a couch with glass in his face.

"Yeah, I think that's what happened. I remember now. I was walking out here for some reason and out of nowhere something came through the wall and pushed me onto the couch. Glass was all over my face. I must have passed out." The dad then looked at James confused.

"That doesn't make sense. Then how did all that glass come out?" James looked down in confusion again. Once more the girl hovering above him popped into his mind.

"I don't know." He said blankly, and then once more the mother hugged James tighter than before.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" She said, tears running down her face.

"Its…ok…mom…just…let…go!" He said trying to breathe. She then let go once more. The dad just shook his head and walked into the other room.

"Well, at least we have insurance. I'll call someone and get this fixed in no time. Just…just go to your room for a while." With that, the man walked out the back door. James frowned and then walked into his room.

As James lay on his bed once more, he sighed and continued to look at the ceiling, trying to remember the previous night. _"Who was that girl?"_ He thought to himself. _"She helped me…I know it. She must have been the one that took out the glass…but who was she?"_ With that final thought, he closed his eyes, and took a nap.

* * *

The previous night, after the attack…

The masked man walked down a hallway in some unknown building until he reached a door that led outside. Outside, the rain fell on a small area that looked more like an arena. It was covered in dirt and had various people fighting with each other. At the far end, a large man with spiked up black hair sat with his legs crossed under him. Over his one eye he wore a black eye patch. The man wore large black and white robes and on his waist was a sheathed sword. The masked man, Alex, walked up to the larger man and then kneeled.

"Kenpachi Zaraki." Said Alex. The man looked down at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes Alex?" Alex looked down avoiding Kenpachi's gaze.

"I have found a boy while hunting a hollow."

"And why does this interest me?"

"The boy, he could see me." The man grunted.

"So, it is rare, yes, but some humans tend to do that." At that point Alex looked up at the man.

"The boy had the highest spirit energy of any human I have ever seen." That made the man get a confused look.

"Did he now?" Alex nodded.

"I wish to, examine him. Do I have permission Captain?" He said bowing his head once more. The man readjusted himself, and then rubbed his chin.

"Do you have permission? Hmm…" He said to himself aloud. "Where was he?"

"In the states Captain. It is rare for someone with that much energy to be in the states anymore." The man continued to think.

"Hmm…the threat of the Arrancar is growing ever closer, but I think we have more than enough reapers to cover them. Fine. Get yourself a gigai and report to me in a week. I want to know just how powerful you say he is. And if it turns out to be nothing, you will be responsible."

"Yes Captain. Thank you."

"Now go, I wish to see this fight." Alex then stood up and walked away, leaving the Captain to watch the fights.

* * *

Later that Saturday, James stood in his back yard with his katana. He was no longer in his uniform, but instead wore a black t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo pants. He twirled it around and into a tree, and then pulled it out and swung it around into another tree. He enjoyed training with his sword, it kept him busy and it was good exercise. He would spend hours with that sword, but with time that too made him tired and eventually he took a seat on an old metal swing with short wooden planks as seats. He sat there, his sword in its sheath on his lap, swinging in the cool breeze. Around him a wood grew, making a soothing rustling sound as the wind blew through the trees. He closed his eyes and swung. As he did, he kept one hand on his sword to keep it from flying off, and he thought about the previous night. He was very confused.

"_Who was she…?"_ He once again thought to himself. _"And why was she in my house? Was she the one driving the car? Was it even really a car that hit my house?"_ He then thought back to the thing slamming into the house sending glass into his face. He touched his face in sadness. His face was ruined and he didn't even know why. He could feel the odd scars on his skin, wondering also how they healed so fast.

Because of the glass, James had several nasty scars covering the left side of his face. One along most of the left half vertically (going from his forehead, down over his eyelid, down to the bottom of his cheekbone). Another was just below that scar (going from just below the first scar to the bottom of his jaw), and then there were an assortment of other much smaller scars scattered all over the left side of his face (ranging from over his eye to beside his mouth).

Tears began to fall from his face from the realization that he would never look the same again. At that moment, a sweet female voice could be heard from behind him. "How sad." It said quietly. James froze and turned around. Nobody was there.

"Is anyone there?" He said. No answer. He just sighed and turned back around to see a girl that looked like she was in her twenties standing in front of him. He gasped and fell off of the swing and landed on the ground.

"I'm so sorry." Said the girl in guilt. James stood up brushing off the dirt.

"It's ok." He said. He then looked up at her. The girl was just a tad shorter than him with long brown hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a long yellow dress with two thin straps around her shoulders holding it up. On her right shoulder she had a tattoo of a blue flower. The weird thing was however that on her chest had a broken chain coming out of it. "Who are you?" He said. She sighed with a sad look.

"I'm Lily."

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"I don't know. The last thing I remember is walking down the road and then the sound of squealing tires." James looked at her confused. He then sighed.

"I think you're a ghost." She gasped.

"What!"

There was a little known secret about James that not many knew about. He could see ghosts. Ever since he was a child he could see the dead, and to him it was always the same, they would scare him, and then he would try and help them. James didn't like seeing them though, so he just kept it a secret. He tried telling his parents once, but they never believed him, and his brother Matt just thought he was a liar and an idiot. So, James just dropped it and never brought it up again.

James nodded. "I think you may be dead. You see, I can see ghosts, and every ghost I have seen has had one of those chains." She then looked down and lifted up the small chain. She then fell to her knees and began to cry.

"I don't want to be dead!" She wailed in sadness. James got on his knees too.

"I'm sorry, is there any way I can help you?" She sniffled and looked up at him.

"Can you help me find my body, and tell my family I love them?" James sighed. He hated talking to families about dead relatives, and it seemed like all ghosts he met wanted him to do that. In television and movies, it usually always depicted the families believing in the ghost seeing person and accept that they can see ghosts, that isn't how it really worked. In reality the families think he is a sick freak wanting to add insult to injury by saying he can see them. And it never helps when all the ghosts want him to do is say the most vague things to their family that any nitwit could come up with saying, so that never convinces anyone that he can see them. So he just nodded.

"Ok." She then stood up and hugged him.

"Thank you." James just cringed, feeling extremely cold as the girl hugged him.

"Ok, let's go." He then stood up, set his sword on the swing, and began to walk down the street.

Several hours passed of them walking, and not one body could be found, except for a dead bird, but that didn't count. "Lady, no offence, but are you sure you can't remember where you died?" She shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I just remember a blue mailbox by the sidewalk." James looked at the houses. All of them had a blue mailbox. James did a face palm, and then began to rub his temples. That's when he saw it. By the sidewalk was a large hedge dividing the properties of two houses. From under one of the bushes, a foot was sticking out. It was a small female foot wearing a yellow sandal. The skin on it was very pale. He turned around and looked at the ghost's foot and noticed it looked the same. He then looked up at her.

"I think I found you." He pointed at the foot and she fell to her knees again and began to sob.

"It…It was a hit and run. That bastard didn't even call the cops or anything. He…he just shoved me in a bush." She then began to wail. James frowned, pulled a cell phone from his pocket, and dialed 911, and then he held it to his ear.

"911, what's your emergency." Said a female's voice.

"Yes, I think I found a dead body in a bush by the road."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, the foot his hanging out and it is really pale."

"Ok, what is your location?" James then explained where he was and after he was finished with the call, he hung up.

"Ok, the cops are on their way." He turned around to see her looking up at him on her knees.

"Thank you so much. Now, can you talk to my family?" James sighed, and then wondered what to do. Every family to date has threatened to sue him and more if he was ever caught doing this again. He then got an idea. He reached in one of his cargo pockets and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and pulled out a small piece of paper, also attached to his wallet he had a pen, which he also took out.

"I have a better idea that will benefit us both. How about you tell me everything you want to tell them, and I write it down, then we leave it here and that way I don't have to talk to them and look like a moron." She thought a moment, and then nodded. "Good."

The girl spent about ten minutes telling him things to say and write down, when finally she was done, he folded it up and put his pen back on his wallet. "There." Said James. "Now, when the cops arrive, we can give it to them." The girl nodded, and then hugged him out of nowhere.

"Thank you…"

"James." He said.

"Thank you James. I don't know how to repay you. If this letter doesn't explain to them how I feel, at least I will have said it, and they will know that it involved me somehow. Some of the things I told you to write only I could know, so that should help." She then let go and nodded. "Thanks for everything." Then at that moment, she faded away into a bright light, and she was gone. He smiled, and in a few seconds the police arrived. When the cop walked up to James, he handed him the letter.

"What's this?" Said the male cop confused.

"Can you give this to her family? It's important that they get this." He looked at it a moment, and then nodded.

"Of course, but you're going to have to come with me a moment and answer some questions."

"Of course." James then followed the cop.

* * *

Several hours passed until finally James walked through his front door. The huge hole in the wall was covered with a large transparent plastic sheet to keep it sealed. He sighed and noticed his parents staring at him. "What?" He said confused, and then his father walked up to him.

"Do you realize how long you have been gone?" He said with an aggressive tone.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Four hours. With not as much as a phone call. What the hell were you doing?" He yelled viciously. James winced from the large man. His mother had a disappointed look on her face. He sighed, feeling ashamed regardless of the fact he was helping someone.

James always felt as if he didn't do his family proud. He got almost straight As, he was an expert when using a computer, he knew how to use a sword, he was a student ambassador at his school, and he was the first of a long line of Tanners that managed to be good at school, yet he still felt as if he shamed his parents. Nothing he did ever seemed good enough. His parents wanted James to be a working man with a job in some factory or in a field, yet that wasn't James. He was good with technology, not manual labor, and he wasn't exactly big either. He was scrawny and couldn't lift more than about 90 pounds.

He just sighed. "I'm sorry father, mother."

"You better be." Said his father. "Now go to your room." James then walked himself to his lonely room.

There he lay on his bed, looking at a picture he held in his hand. The picture was of him standing next to a girl with his arm wrapped around her, both of them smiling. The girl was a beautiful one that looked around 16 with a nice body and a cute face. She had long black hair that was did up in a ponytail. She also wore black lipstick and wore eye shadow and eyeliner, and she also had large hoop earrings and a single lip ring. She wore a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans with black punk boots, and on her wrists, she wore large silver bracelets and a gold class ring with an emerald on it on her ring finger. This girl was obviously gothic.

James lifted up his hand and looked at the ring on his finger. It was the same class ring from the picture. It was his; he had given it to her. James and this girl had been going out for a long time, until recently. The day before the accident that happened to his house to be precise. Her name was Amy, and she loved James very much, but a dispute about something she did broke them up. This was because Amy was suicidal, brought on from a bad childhood and horrible parents. One day James caught her trying to kill herself and he threw a fit. After that, he tried to make it work, but she wouldn't stop, and in the end they separated.

James set the picture down and looked out the window. It was sunny and nice, a complete contrast of the day before.

* * *

Night fell on the little town James lived in. The moon was shining bright in the sky, and the stars were bright. Perched on the corner of a rooftop sat Alex, glaring through the window of James' home, directly at him. Alex smiled behind his mask.

"I will figure you out before this week ends." He said. He then laughed evilly to himself "Your soul is so powerful, yet your body is so weak. You will be no problem to figure out. I can promise you that." He then stood up and began to jump away.


	3. Chapter 3

**School**

The following Monday…

"Have a nice weekend!" Yelled an energetic boy right in James' face while leaning on his desk, grinning widely. James sat in his desk at school in his uniform with a dull look, like he usually did.

"Yeah Richard, I had a great weekend." He said dully. He didn't feel the need to explain to the boy about the incident or the ghost, regardless of the fact the boy was in love with the paranormal.

The boy was Richard. He was a very energetic boy with straight As and little else. He had brains, but common sense seemed to be totally absent. The boy had dark blonde hair and brown eyes, and resting on his nose he wore a pair of glasses similar to the ones James wore. When not at school, he was usually seen wearing a striped shirt and jeans. And as previously mentioned, he was OBSESSED with anything paranormal. He even goes as far as saying he can see ghosts like James can, but he has never proved it. However, he is the only person that believes James can see ghosts.

"That's great!" He said. He then looked closer at James' face and noticed the scars. "Oh my god man, what happened to your face?" James didn't say anything, making Richard get a sad look. "I'm sorry, I won't ask again." At that moment a man with a short beard and mustache walked in. He was a bigger man (muscular) with short brown hair, wore a white dress shirt, a pair of black slacks, and black dress shoes, and he didn't look very happy.

"Everybody take a seat." He yelled to the class, and then Richard ran to his seat and sat down. "I hope you are all excited, because today we have a new mind to mold. Alex, would you please come in." Then from outside, a boy of around 17 with spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes walked in wearing the school uniform, yet underneath it he wore a skin tight sleeveless black shirt that had a part that rose over his face like a mask. The moment James saw this person, his eyes went wide. It was as if seeing him jogged his memory, for now he could remember everything from the other day, from this man flying through his wall to the blurry looking lady helping his face. There was no car; a beast caused the hole in his home.

The boy waved at the students, showing little facial expression. "Hi. I'm Alex." The teacher then looked over at the boy.

"Son, could you pull down that mask." He then walked over to the teacher and whispered into his ear. "Oh, I see. I'm so sorry. Please, have a seat." The boy then walked past James and sat in the desk beside him. The desk behind Alex was that of Richard, and for some reason, Richard looked surprised too. "Now class, open your text books to chapter forty-three, section two." James watched as the new kid pulled a book out and opened it up to the page. The kid seemed to pay absolutely no attention to James, Richard however seemed to be very interested in the new kid. He glared at him like he was something evil and possessed. James then turned around and opened his book as the teacher began to teach to the class.

* * *

At lunch, James sat with Richard alone so they could talk together. The boy whispered so only James could hear. "Did you see that new kid?" Said Richard. James nodded. "I think he is a ghost." James' eyes got wide as he said that. The boy being a ghost would explain so many things, yet James just shook his head instead.

"No, or else everybody would have thought he was invisible." Richard didn't seem to care.

"He is a ghost I tell you. I can sense it on him. And plus that mask. What normal person wears a mask like that?"

"One with something wrong with their face." Said a voice behind them. James and Richard looked up to see Alex standing there, Richard then gasped as Alex glared at him. "Do you think it's funny to make fun of people?" Richard shook his head.

"N….no…not at all. He he he." He tried to smile at him, but Alex just frowned behind his mask, and then walked away. After he was gone, Richard got a serious look towards James. "And he even appears out of nowhere. He has to be a ghost!" James just continued to eat, trying to ignore the fact that Richard, for once, could be right.

* * *

The bell rang declaring school's end for that day, and then James stood up from his desk and began to walk to the door. He was always the last to leave, as well as Richard. Even the teacher left first. James began to walk out the door with Richard, when he could sense something behind him. He turned around to see Alex standing there looking at him oddly. James cocked an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" He said.

"No." Said Alex. "Not yet."

"_Not yet?" _James thought to himself. James then continued walking. The entire time, Richard was rambling on about some movie involving giant robots, yet James wasn't listening. He was worried about the boy following his every move behind him, staring at him like he was his prey. Eventually they made it outside, and Richard and James split up to go to their respective homes. However, James could still feel Alex following him. But why? He seemed to pay absolutely no attention to James that entire day, and now all of a sudden he was following him.

Finally, after walking for about ten minutes, James stopped, and so did Alex. They were on a sidewalk close to where James lived, beside a picket fence. A lone car drove by. "Why are you following me?" Said James, still facing forward. He could hear a soft chuckle from behind him.

"How did you get those scars?" James frowned from that comment, and then turned around. Nobody was there. James raised an eyebrow, when Alex leaned his head up to James' ear from behind him. "Boo." He said quietly. James jumped and faced Alex with a scowl.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" He yelled. Alex just smiled behind his mask.

"Whatever do you mean?" James didn't look happy.

"You know exactly what I mean! Who are you?" Alex laughed at James.

"It doesn't matter who _I_ am. I want to know who _you_ are." James' face went from being mad, to being very confused.

"What?"

"The other night, when I killed that hollow for ya. I found you because your spirit energy was so high. Higher than anyone I've seen in a good, long time, and the highest I've seen in a human. I want to know why." James shrugged and frowned again.

"How the heck should I know? And what the heck is a hollow?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"It was that monster that attacked your house idiot. God, I figured a kid like you could have figured that out. I only killed one thing at your house." James just gave Alex a dirty look. "Now kid, there is something up with you, and I want to find out what that something is. One way or another."

"Yeah, how are you going to do that?" Alex thought a moment with a stern face, and then got a really confused face.

"You know what, I'm not really sure. Gee, I didn't really think that through did I?" Alex then began to laugh loud while James did a face palm and then looked at Alex with a blank look.

"Ok, then can I leave yet." Alex thought a moment, and then he raised an eyebrow as a beeping started coming from his pocket. "What's that?" Alex reached in his pocket and pulled out a white cell phone, and then sighed.

"Crap." He said dully. Then out of nowhere, a large crash could be heard very close. James jumped in surprise and noticed a couple streets over, a large black serpentine creature with a skull-like head and long arms slamming into buildings.

"What the heck!" Yelled James. Just as he said that, the creature looked over at James and roared. It then started rushing over to him. James looked over at Alex to see him putting on a fingerless glove with a picture of a flaming skull on its back. "What are you doing?" Yelled James. Alex just smiled behind his mask and made a fist.

"Just wait." He then punched himself in the face and out of his body came an exact duplicate of him, only dressed in the odd clothes from their first encounter. Also on his waist was a sheathed sword. The regular body then fell limp on the ground. James instantly began freaking out.

"What's going on?" Alex looked at the large hollow and smiled.

"I'll explain later. Just stand back and enjoy the show!" Alex jumped at the hollow that was charging right at them and pulled out his katana, the whole time appearing as if he could defy gravity, which he could. The creature was about to slam into James when Alex used his sword to jab into its head. The beast screamed in anger and pain as it slammed its head into a building. This caused Alex to fall off, leaving the sword in the middle of the hollows head. It thrashed its head around violently trying to figure out what was going on. "Crap." Thought Alex to himself as he saw the sword sticking out of the beasts head. He attempted to jump at it, but the monster used its massive hand to deflect Alex and sent him into a wall. As Alex hit a building, the monster looked down at James and roared, and as it did, James could see a smaller mouth inside.

"Pathetic human." Said the creature in a deep voice. James gasped.

"You can talk!"

"You think a mere Soul Reaper can stop me? Your joke sickens me. Many a Soul Reaper has tried to stop me, and many I have eaten! Now prepare to lose your powerful soul to my ravenous hunger!" It then roared again as it charged at James. James began to scream in fear, but just as it was about to hit him, Alex flew up and kicked the beast in the head sending it flying. Alex stood on its head to pull out the sword, when the creature grabbed him again.

"Shit." Then he was slammed into the ground. The creature used his hand to pin him down, unable to move. "I am not going to be killed by a pathetic hollow like you!" He yelled. The creature just laughed, grabbing the sword in his head and pulling it out.

"You foolish Reaper, I shall kill you as horribly as I can. But first, you shall watch as you fail to protect this human and I devour his soul." The monster then leaned over and roared at James. A long tail came at James and knocked him over. He lay on the ground holding the cross on his neck praying. "Ha ha ha, praying before you die? How foolish." The beast then came at James, mouth agape, and just as it was about to hit him, James' hand glowed a bright blue like that of a small star. The creature jerked back in surprise. "What sorcery is this?" He then looked down and saw that now in James hand was a large bow made of a blue energy. Alex saw this and his eyes got wide.

"What the hell?" Said Alex, and then he thought a moment. "Of course." James just sat there looking at the bow in confusion.

"What the?" He said to himself. Alex saw him just looking at it, and then yelled at him.

"You idiot, it's a bow! Pull the string!" James then looked up to see the monster charging at him again. But just before it did, James closed his eyes and pulled the cross from his neck and grabbed the string and pulled. Just as the jaws were around him, he released the string and a huge glowing arrow shot into the hollows mouth and out the other side. Blood poured out of its head as it jerked back and screamed. It released Alex and held its head screaming. Then, like it was never there, it dissolved into dust and blew away. Alex lay on the ground with a surprised look as he stared at James. James still held the bow in his hand, a now broken chain around his neck as well. "You…you killed it with one shot." James looked down at his hand and saw the bow he was holding. It was transparent and made of a glowing blue energy. He then opened his hand and it vanished. He saw the small silver cross laying in his palm. The symbols on it that were once black were now a glowing blue. After several seconds, they faded back to black. James then looked at Alex in surprise.

"What am I?"

* * *

In a small cottage several miles outside the town James lived in, an old woman in a wheelchair sat by a fireplace knitting what appeared to be a sweater. She smiled as she did so and hummed a tune.

After a few moments, she sat it down on a table and sighed in relief. "I think that's enough for today." She said to herself, and then out of nowhere she gasped. "Oh my." She then grabbed a cross that hung around her neck, a silver cross with blue in the middle. "I…I sense a presence. Could it be?" The room got dark as ribbons shot out of the floor. All of them where white except one which was red. She looked at the red one a moment and shook her head. "No, it's new, but it's been here before." She then looked at all of them until she grabbed one and held it close. "Oh my…" She then let it go and they disappeared. "James…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Gods of Death and Monks of Destruction**

Alex slowly stood up and walked over to his sword, which was now lying on the ground, picked it up, and put it away. James watched his every move. Alex then walked over to his body and held it up. He hugged the body, and then the form of him that wore the robes faded into the regular one. Once back in his body, Alex took off the glove and put it in his pocket. He then reached out a hand to James. James looked at it a moment, and then grabbed it and stood up. After standing up, James brushed some dirt off, Alex watching him do so the entire time.

"Well." Said Alex. "My question has been answered." James looked at him.

"Question?"

"On how you have such a high spiritual energy." James had a confused look.

"I…I don't even know what I did. Did my cross do that?"

"Yes and no. It had more to do with you than the cross. Your cross is just how the bow is formed, but you have to be the one to use it."

"I don't understand." Said James very confused, a hint of worry to his voice. "What's going on?" Alex sighed, and then looked at James with a determined look.

"I think it's time to explain some things to you. I am a Soul Reaper."

"What's that?"

"I am a human that has died and was trained in the art of the Zanpakuto. It is my purpose in the universe to destroy hollows like that one you just killed, as well as guide lost souls to the Soul Society."

"What's that?"

"The Soul Society is what you humans call heaven. It is the most beautiful place somebody could imagine, well, in spots. However, we aren't angles like what people usually imagine. Once someone dies, they travel to the Soul Society." James nodded.

"What's a Zanpakuto?"

"It's my sword. It has the power to cleanse souls and send ghosts to the Soul Society."

"I think I actually understand. So you are basically a grim reaper kind of guy." Alex made a weird face.

"Well…I guess."

"And what are Hollows?"

"Hollows are powerful, soul eating creatures that must be stopped. But, they weren't always like that. Hollows are the souls of humans that have become corrupt due to the soul becoming upset or angered. It's kind of sad really." James got a shocked look.

"So…these hollows weren't always evil?" Alex shook his head.

"No. They weren't. But it is our job to stop them. A soul reaper must ignore the fact that they were good once, for if we don't, it can cause the deaths of many humans and souls." James nodded.

"And…what am I." Alex smiled.

"You James…are what we call Queens." James frowned.

"Queens?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure that's what they are called." Alex thought a moment, and then nodded.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. It's been a long time since I've met one."

"What is my job?" Alex thought a moment.

"Your job. Actually, it's the same as mine, to a certain degree. Your job is to kill hollows. Not the other part though." James nodded. "And from the height of your spirit energy, you may want to learn how, because they'll be attached to you like ants on sugar." James got wide eyes.

"No, I don't want to kill the hollows. I'm just a school boy." Alex looked at him, and then shrugged.

"Fine. It's up to you. I'll do it myself then. But, if they do follow you, they'll go after your family too." James frowned. "So, while I'm here, I'll help you out." James looked at Alex, slightly worried.

"While you're here?" Alex nodded, a smile creeping onto his face.

"That's right. I'll be gone soon. So, if you ever change your mind about hunting hollows, come and find me." He then began to walk away, leaving James there by himself. James just stood there looking down at the cracked sidewalk. He then began to walk home as well, the cross still in his hand.

* * *

11:45 pm…

Later that night, James lay in his bed looking at the ceiling, everyone else asleep. James lay there thinking about earlier that day. _"That kids a ghost."_ James remembered Richard telling him.

"_I guess in a way he was right." _Thought James to himself. _"But how he could tell is beyond me."_ He then rolled over on his side and remembered that girl from the other night. She was so beautiful. _"Was she a Soul Reaper too?" _He then closed his eyes and touched his face, feeling the nasty scars along the left side of it. _"Why me?"_

* * *

Up in the Soul Society, Alex knelt before Kenpachi Zaraki. Sitting next to Kenpachi was a small pink haired girl. "I have found out the source of this boys powers Captain." Kenpachi nodded.

"And in one day too. Very good. Why is he so powerful?" Alex then looked up at Kenpachi.

"The boy is one of the monks of destruction." Kenpachi cocked an eyebrow.

"A Quincy? How could that be so?"

"I do not know Captain, but he is powerful. Very powerful." Kenpachi frowned.

"Is he dangerous?" Alex shook his head.

"I don't know sir. I do not think so, but he has much potential. He could be a formidable ally."

"Or a formidable enemy. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid Alex. Watch him for a while." He nodded.

"Yes Captain."

"If you discover that he is more of a threat than an ally to us, I want you to kill him immediately. I don't want another war, regardless of the fact we would win again." The small girl then smiled and hugged Kenpachi's shoulder.

"Yup, we would always win with Kenny on our side." Alex looked at the odd girl for a moment, but then back up at Kenpachi.

"Of course Captain." He then rose and left, unknowing that an eavesdropper was present. Standing just outside the door, a woman stood listening to the conversation. It was Sarah.

She had been walking by when she saw Alex walk in. Though she was from Squad Five, she had been walking through part of Squad Eleven for part of an assignment. After seeing Alex walk in, she had to see what was happening, since she knew that he was examining that boy. She stood just outside the door, she listened to see if he found anything out about him. After hearing about him being a Quincy, she got a serious look, with a little disappointment as well. _"A Quincy?" _She thought to herself. She then heard Kenpachi tell him to kill James if anything happened._ "Knowing Alex and his love for a good fight and his hatred for Quincies, he's probably going to try and fight him for fun and kill him making up an excuse he was too powerful."_ She then scowled. _"I bet he didn't even tell him that he doesn't cleanse the souls of hollows and just destroys them. I have to do something."_ She then marched away as Alex opened the door and left the room, unknowing she was ever there.

* * *

The next day, James sat at school, Richard once again leaning on his desk right in his face with a wide grin. "So, what's up?" James just looked at Richard with a very dull expression.

"The sky." He said blankly. Richard cackled and then took a seat as the teacher walked in. James noticed Alex was gone.

"_Maybe he went back to that society place." _He thought to himself.

"Ok students. I hope you all had a nice sleep." The students just looked at him dully, except Richard who was smiling at him, as always. He loved school. Then, the door opened and Alex walked in with his shirt sleeves torn off. Richard frowned and looked at him evilly.

"Ghost." He whispered to himself, yet James could still hear it. The teacher looked at Alex with anger.

"Alex, what did you do to your uniform?" He shrugged and took a seat, Richard giving him a death glare. "Alex, you are not supposed to alter your uniform in any way. Why did you do that?" He just shrugged.

"I don't like sleeves." The teacher frowned.

"I expect your shirt to be in one piece tomorrow Alex. And because of your lack of uniformity, I think we should all have a pop quiz. How does that sound." All the kids moaned and some of them looked at Alex with a mean look. Alex just shrugged.

The teacher began to pass out quizzes and the kids got out their pencils. "Ok class, you have ten minutes. Hurry up." He then started a timer. James began to write, but after a few seconds, he noticed Alex reach in his pocket and pull out a small green sphere that looked like a jaw breaker. He pulled his mask away from his skin a moment and dropped it in. Almost immediately after he dropped the sphere, James noticed the body go blank a moment and noticed something black fall through the floor beneath. Alex then looked down at the test and began to answer all the questions in lightning speed. James cocked an eyebrow at this, and then continued writing. After what seemed like only a minute, he heard Alex slam his pencil down and stand up.

"Done!" He said very enthusiastically. The teacher raised an eyebrow.

"Done? It's been two minutes. You can't be done." Alex then handed the test in and sat back down. The teacher examined it and got a shocked look. "Holy crap." He whispered to himself. He just set the paper down on his desk and sat down. "They are all correct." James looked over at Alex and noticed him smiling behind his mask. He then noticed something move under him. James held in a gasp as he saw what it was. Coming out of the floor was a hand wearing the glove that Alex used to punch out his Soul Reaper form from his body. The hand grabbed Alex's ankle and pulled. The body then went emotionless and limp, as if it were dead. Inside the hand on the floor was that jaw breaker thing. James then noticed the Soul Reaper Alex rise from the floor and float back into his body, causing the body to come to life again and have the same unemotional look as always. James looked dumbstruck, and then continued his test.

"_How Richard didn't notice I will never know." _James thought to himself. _"But then again, I never really believed he could see ghosts anyway. He could never prove it."_ James then finished his quiz like nothing happened.

Once all the quizzes were finished, the teacher stood up and looked at the class. "I hope that quiz was fun." Nobody said a word. "Now to begin the lesson."

* * *

At lunch, Richard sat by James, like always, and gave him a dirty look. James just looked back confused. "What?"

"Did you see how fast the ghost finished his test?" James rolled his eyes. "That isn't human. Not to mention he got all the answers right." James just looked at Richard blankly.

"I still don't get why you think he is a ghost. How can you tell?" Richard then got a serious look.

"I can sense it. His body is giving off a powerful energy that I can feel. It's not human either. His is different than the energy I feel coming out of humans. His is, unnatural." James just slowly nodded.

"You can sense energy?" Said James doubtingly. Richard nodded.

"I can. And for some reason, you seem to be getting energy similar to his coming off you; only, I don't know how to say it…opposite."

"Opposite?"

"Yeah, it's like his, only everything about it is the opposite. His energy seems to feed his own body and then spill out when it is no longer needed. Yours seems to suck energy from everything around you in and then give it off when it's used up, only your body sucks that energy up again making a huge recycling plant of energy. It's odd." James just had a very confused look.

"Um…ok."

"I'm telling you James, watch out. Even if it turns out he isn't a ghost, he wants something from you. Be careful." Richard then got up to throw his garbage away and go to class, leaving James there by himself, confused.

* * *

After school, James walked down the street alone to go home. He hadn't seen Alex leave the building, so he was a little worried. He was waiting for him to jump out of nowhere, so he was very alert. He walked for about ten minutes, when out of nowhere a large spider-like creature with a mask fell out of the sky with blood pouring out of its stomach and hit the ground. After a few seconds, turned to dust and blew away. He gasped, and then looked over to see Alex in his Soul Reaper mode holding his sword. He looked at James and smiled.

"Sorry about that." He said. "That's the third one today since school let out." James looked at his watch. School was only out for about 15 minutes. "I can tell what you're thinking, school just let out and there have been three already. Well, I think it's because they know when you get out of school. They really want _you_ for some reason." He smiled widely with an 'I know everything' kind of look on his face. James scowled at Alex.

"What do you want from me?" He said loudly. Alex closed his eyes and shrugged.

"I don't know what you mean." He said sarcastically.

"You came here for a reason, and that's for me. Well, you got your answer, why don't you just go? What more could there be for you to do here than torment me?" Alex smiled wider.

"Torment you? Are you kidding?" He then ran at James and in about half a second was right in his face. "Yes James, I am here for you. I want to know all about you. What you do, where you live, and why you are here."

"Why? Isn't there someone else like me you can bother? I imagine one of them would care about what you are looking for." Alex smiled; James was clearly uninformed about the Quincies.

"Ok Queen, I'll make you a deal. If you help me kill hollows for a while, I'll leave. Because other than you, that's all I'm really here for. If you prove to me that you are fine without me, I'll go." James raised an eyebrow.

"Why? What about your observations?"

"Like you said, there must be another Queen I can look at. So, is it a deal or not?" James considered it a moment. "If not, I'll just leave on Sunday like previously planned and spy on you night and day until then. And once I leave, you'll never see me again. But the hollows wanting to kill you are another story. They will come, and since I won't be here to defend you, they will come in great numbers. So, I would accept my offer if I were you. Just think about it, that would be two wins for you, I would leave early, and you would know how to fight off hollows." James avoided Alex's gaze.

"How long would it take to teach me to fight?" Alex had a puzzled face for a moment.

"Um, about two days. Not counting today." James looked at what day it was on his watch.

"So, you would leave on Thursday. That would mean…"

"That would mean an extra three days that I won't be here." James thought a moment. He obviously couldn't pull off that cross trick again without some help. He then looked up at Alex.

"Fine. I'll do it. Only because if you're right about the hollows, I want to protect myself." Alex laughed.

"Good." Said Alex slyly. "Very good."

"But you better leave once I'm good enough." Alex nodded.

"_That fool." _Alex thought. _"If only he knew how much I hated Quincies."_

James then looked over to see Alex's body walk up. James looked at the body in confusion. "Uh, how is it moving like that?" The body then walked up grinning oddly.

"Hi guys!" It said enthusiastically. It then looked at Alex. "Oh man master, you should have seen it. There were two guys playing the new Dragon Warrior Advance over there on their handheld videogames. It was so cool master, I would love a game like that!" Alex just rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"Yeah, whatever." James was watching this very confused. Alex then reached into the pocket of the body and pulled out a candy dispenser with a duck head for a top. He put on the fingerless glove again and grabbed the body's neck. After that, he pulled his hand back and the body fell over, and in his hand was the green jawbreaker thing. He held it up for James to see. "This is a soul candy. We Soul Reapers use it to push our souls out of our bodies and replace it with a fake soul. Unfortunately it appears that all the ones that I get make my body turn into a nerd that is obsessed with school and nerd things." James nodded.

"So that's how you took your test so fast." Alex nodded. "But isn't that cheating?"

"Who cares, why do I need to learn it? I'm dead." James shrugged.

"Whatever. It's still cheating." Alex put the candy back in the dispenser, and then looked at James and smiled.

"Well, we have some training to do then."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Guys, long time no see! Short chapter, I know, but I have more to come. I've edited the previous chapters slightly as well. No big changes, just some dialogue and how James' cross looks. Well, just saying. If you don't feel like going back, the cross now looks silver with black symbols in the center, and instead of unsymetrical is perfectly symectrical. Ok, just saying. Keep on reading!**

* * *

**Training Grounds**

After talking, James and Alex traveled to James' house to start training. They went deep behind James' house, which consisted of a large forest. James made sure to bring his sword as well though.

James stood in a small clearing way in the back of the woods with Alex. Alex was in his Soul Reaper form once more with his body leaning against a stump. "Ok James, first thing we need to teach you is hand to hand combat." James nodded. "Usually this would never be enough to kill a hollow, but it's a start." Alex then relaxed with his arms at his sides. "Hit me." James raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Hit me. It won't hurt me, I promise. I want to see how hard you can hit." James sighed.

"I don't know. I'm actually a pacifist. I've never punched anyone before." Alex smiled at him and laughed.

"You're a what? Are you kidding me?" He then began to laugh at James.

"Shut up ok! Violence is wrong." Alex calmed down a bit, still smiling.

"Right, whatever. Just hit me." James then balled up a fist, and punched him right in the chest. It didn't even faze him. "Is that it?" James tried again, but still nothing. "Wow, you are weak." James continued to try and punch him, but to no avail. "Ok, maybe we should just stop here and let me finish my job." James got an upset face. "You obviously aren't ready to learn to fight, much less take down a hollow." James just got an even meaner look. "Besides, a Queen like you couldn't take me on anyway. You're just a weak, pathetic, no spine…" Then at that point, James pulled back his arm and punched Alex right in the stomach. Alex's eyes got wide as he fell backwards. James was gasping as he looked at Alex on the ground. Alex smiled.

"There, let's move on." Alex shook his head.

"No, that was only part one. To see if you could hit. Now we need to actually train. Block me if you can." James got a confused look.

"What?" At that point Alex jumped off of the ground and shoved James into a tree five feet behind him. James got up with just a small scratch on his arm. Upon noticing it, James ran at Alex and punched at him, but Alex just moved aside and punched him in the back. James fell to the ground and Alex flipped him on his back with his foot.

"Get up." James then saw an opportunity. He then kicked with all his might straight up between Alex's legs. Not expecting this, Alex was too late to react. In a moment, he was on his knees holding himself. James got up and brushed off the dirt.

"Like I said, let's move on." Alex gasped slightly and looked up at him.

"Ok…"

After several moments of recuperating, Alex stood up and looked at James. "Ok James, get your sword. Our next lesson is swordsmanship." James nodded. He held up his katana proudly. "Ok, swing your sword at that tree there and let me see how far you go through it." James nodded. He swung his sword with all his might, and it made its way a couple inches into the tree. Alex nodded. "Not bad." He then pulled out his own sword and swung at the same tree only a little lower down, and sliced it clean in half. It fell over and landed with a loud thud. James looked at it dumbstruck. "For a Queen. You do have an excellent swing, but you don't have the determination. You knew that tree was just a tree, so your mind instinctively didn't go all out on it. Now, if that were a murderer or a hollow or something, you would have done more damage. I would train you more in this art, but you do seem to know how to fight and for us to do more I would have to fight you, but you would probably end up dead. So, let's move on to what we came here to teach you. Your Queen stuff." James nodded.

"But, do you even know how it works?" Alex nodded.

"Of course and what I don't know I can get from this book here." He then reached in his robes and pulled out a book with a picture of a cross on it. "Now, grab your cross and hold it in your hand." James did as he said. "Now, concentrate, focus on making a bow with it." James looked at the cross and thought about making a bow. It did nothing. "Concentrate harder, the power is in you somewhere." He did as he said, but all he ended up doing was making a dumb face as he strained himself to concentrate on it. "Ok, this isn't working." James then thought a moment as Alex opened up the book to read about it. James thought about how he made the bow in fear of losing his life. James sat on the ground with his legs crossed and closed his eyes. Alex however didn't notice and continued trying to look up how to make a bow.

James sat there, calm, listening to the nature around him. He didn't exactly focus on the cross, but everything around him. The energy in the air, in the life, in the forest. After doing this for a moment, he remembered what Richard had said earlier, about how his energy seemed to come from everything around him, and then it happened. James focused on the energy around him, and then when he finally had everything focused on, he opened his eyes and stood up. He held out his hand and then concentrated, not on the cross itself, but on the energy around him going into the cross. Then, as if it had been there the whole time, the large energy bow from earlier formed in his hand. Alex looked up from his book to see this. "Holy crap kid, how did you do it?" James looked at Alex and smiled.

"I didn't rely on myself for the energy. I used the energy around me." Alex looked at him slightly confused, and then nodded.

"Uh huh. Ok, whatever works." Alex then closed his book and put it away. "Now that you figured out how to use it, try pulling the string and firing a few shots." James nodded. He aimed at a tree and concentrated on it. He held up his bow and wrapped his hand around the string. He pulled it back, feeling the energy burning his hand slightly, and fired. The arrow flew at the tree and blew it up into mulch. "Very good, now do it again." James focused on another tree, and fired. "Again." He did it again. "Again." He did it over and over again, his hands beginning to get a feeling of pain as if they were being cut. He fired at least twenty arrows before Alex nodded and let him stop. When he did, the bow disappeared and James looked at his hands. His bow holding hand (left) was red and covered in tiny cuts that were bleeding. His other hand had a long gash on it from where he held the string, it too bleeding.

"Uh, why am I bleeding?" Alex looked at it.

"Your bow is made of pure spiritual energy. Holding your bow unprotected for extended periods of time will do that to you from it cutting into you bit by bit." James nodded and flexed his sore fingers, blood trickling down them.

"It hurts." Alex then patted James on the back really hard causing him to almost fall over.

"It's good for you. Lets you know you're alive." Alex then examined James as he stood in front of him. "Now that you know how to shoot the bow, let me explain what it does." Alex then pulled his sword from his waist and held it vertically in front of him. "This is Ukime, my Zanpakuto. Her blade is the embodiment of _misery_ to all Hollow-kind." He then did several cutting motions until he had it pointing at James. "The Zanpakuto is the physical embodiment of a Soul Reaper's soul, allowing the Soul Reaper themselves to be able to communicate with it, and with it, a Soul Reaper is near impossible to defeat. Only a Soul Reaper that has learned the name of their sword can learn to use it to its fullest potential." He then turned it horizontally so James could examine it. "The blade is fine and its movement swift, but it isn't just a sword. The Zanpakuto is also how Soul Reapers cleanse the souls of Hollows and send lost spirits to the Soul Society. It is the Soul Reaper equivalent of your bow." James nodded. "Unlike the Zanpakuto, your bow is less refined. Your bow will only work if there is a strong amount of energy around and within you. If you were to go somewhere with little energy, you would be in horrible trouble." Alex then put his sword away. "However, unlike the Zanpakuto, the bow, with enough training, will eventually be able to fire arrows at any hollow you wish regardless of your firing direction, and kill them with one shot." James then nodded. "However, it will take some time before you are able to do that." James nodded, but then spoke.

"But, didn't I just kill a hollow with one shot?" Alex just looked at him with a frown.

"Beginners luck." James frowned. "Now, do you think you're ready for some real training?" James looked at Alex with a confused look.

"Weren't we just doing that?" Alex just laughed.

"Kid, we haven't even started yet."


End file.
